Antanas Bataitis

Antanas Bataitis
Born	(1854-06-13)13 June 1854 Valiliškiai, Panevėžys district, Lithuania
Died	12 March 1932(1932-03-12) (aged 77) Smilgiai
Burial place	Smilgiai Cemetary
Nationality	Lithuanian
Occupation(s)	Bookbinder, book smuggler
Years active	1882–1904
Spouse	Agota Guokienė
Children	8

Antanas Bataitis (13 June 1854 - 12 March 1932) was a Lithuanian book smuggler, known for his activity around the Smilgiai area. He worked as a bookbinder and also as a book smuggler during the time of the Lithuanian press ban in the Russian Empire.

Biography

Early life

Antanas Bataitis was born in the village of Valiliškiai in the Panevėžys district of Lithuania, as the first son of Motiejus Bataitis and Agnietė Bataitienė (née Jankevičiūtė). Growing up in the parish refuge of his poor family, he was taught to read Lithuanian by his mother.

Book smuggling years

After his youth up until 28 years old Bataitis worked in the parish church hospital. Bataitis there met the priest of the church Mykolas Opulskis, who taught him to write Lithuanian, and around 1882 encouraged Bataitis to collect Cyrillic-print books from people, burn them, and give them ones printed in Lithuanian. Shortly, Bataitis himself began engaging in book smuggling activities by smuggling from Prussia. Bataitis firstly worked around the Smilgiai parish before expanding to parishes nearby. On his first travel, he lost his cart and horse and nearly got caught by authorities. Bataitis would hide his books in gardens nests, as well as wooden poles, with trusted people and the forest. He also had established a hiding spot in the belfry of the Smilgiai church beneath its roof.

In 1896 priest Dominykas Tuskėnas started to compile an illegal library in the Smilgiai area, and would give funds to Bataitis to compile alongside him, especially after Tuskėnas's departure to Ukmergė. The library consisted of mainly the famous newspapers Aušra and Varpas, as well as calendars. The books were only accessible for highly trusted people within the Smilgiai area. Bataitis also cooperated with other book smugglers like Jurgis Bielinis and Kazimieras Ūdra, and would personally deliver books to author G. Petkavičaitė-Bitė, with whom he established close ties around 1901.

Attempted crackdowns on contraband

While successfully avoiding arrest, Bataitis nevertheless experienced searches. To make sure his library wasn't found, a system of fake names was used in regard to the ownership of specific books. He also had good relations with the Smilgiai sacristan Kazys Kasparavičius. Kasparavičius once helped Bataitis avoid arrest by taking responsibility of the books Bataitis had, under the alibi that during Pentecost people would leave paper lying under straw piles which were there because of the event - Kasperavičius would then "send" Bataitis those papers for him to edit and bind thus avoiding direct responsibility.

Antanas Bataitis with his wife and daughters

Other contraband searches against Bataitis were also unsuccessful as the authorities did not notice the places in which the contraband was hidden. Notably, one investigating authority would sit down and drink with Bataitis before commencing the search, and then would go to the garden to relax. Bataitis used the opportunity to hide any potential contraband, and if anything was found after all - Bataitis offered more drink for the person for him to forget it. Despite this, at one point the investigator would find Bataitis' contraband in a chest but would hide it from his investigative colleagues, and later warn Bataitis about his imprudence.

Last years in Lithuania

Bataitis struggled to maintain himself after Lithuania's independence in 1918 - only ten years later in 1928 did he receive a pension. He died on 12th March, 1932 in Smilgiai, where he was subsequently buried.

He was married in 1880 to Agota Guokienė, with whom he had 8 children. His lineage only survives through his daughter Elžbieta. In 1990 at his cemetery a memorial roof post was built in Bataitis's honor.